Every story needs good characters. Well, that’s not true. I know of plenty of stories with paper-thin characters. But the best stories have incredible, compelling characters with their own arcs. And The Fey Man is full of characters like that (or so readers tell me, anyway). Meet the heroes and villains that will keep you company throughout the Realm Rift Saga!
Thomas Rymour
Thomas Rymour is the main character of The Fey Man. He’s the prophet who cannot lie. He’s the only one who can find the legendary sword, Caledyr. And he’s motivated by just one question: how do I get back to Faerie?
Tom won’t share the exact circumstances of how he was taken to Faerie. All he’ll say is that he spent seven years there as a silent servant. In that time, he was servant to Queen Maev, who now has a hold on his heart that Tom doesn’t fully understand. Tom expected, yearned, to stay with Maev. But, after the seven years had passed, she sent him back to Tir.
But time moves differently in Faerie. Seven years passed for Tom, but almost a hundred passed in the mortal world of Tir. His wife and son were long dead. Tom was left a man out of time, in a world he didn’t understand. And Maev’s unnatural hold on him didn’t vanish when he left Faerie. So he seeks a way back to her.
Tom has his origins in the Scottish legend of Thomas the Rhymer (or True Thomas), who spent time in Fairyland before returning to Scotland with the same gifts of prophesy and honesty. His story ended in Fairyland, but I felt it was more interesting to tell the story after the story; how does someone find focus and meaning after the traumatic and climactic events Tom went through?
Don’t expect Tom to be an epic fantasy hero from the first page. He has no interest in wars and dragons and ancient swords; he’s only interested in returning to Faerie. But it’s a long road and he might not have as much choice in the matter as he’d like.
Katharine Delham
Garbed in clothes and token from the myriad locales they’ve visited, Pathfinders are explorers for hire, people who find the empty spaces in maps and fill them for coin. They establish trade routes, find both people and objects lost, and act as guides. It is in the latter capacity that Katharine acts in The Fey Man.
Katharine has been hired by Lord Neirin to help him find Caledyr, the legendary sword of ancient King Emyr. But no mortal knows where the sword lies, and so Katharine brings Neirin to Tom, who spent time with the immortal Faerie creatures and might know where to look.
Katharine has known Tom since he was sent back to Tir; it was her who found him wandering half-mad in the forests. She took care of him, took him to The Heel and helped him settle down. She wants to help Tom to find his place in the world, but Tom may end up disappointing her…
Elfs of the Eastern Angles
The elfs of the Eastern Angles are like their cousins in the West: tall, elegant and long-lived. Unlike the Westerners, they are olive-skinned, with a penchant for small, decorative tattoos. And they are obsessed with death; they desire above all other things, a good and honourable death. A good death can absolve a wasted life; a dishonourable death brings shame on an elf and her family.
The Fey Man begins with a visit from a small party of Easterners led by Neirin Tarian, Shield of the Eastern Angles, ruler of the elfs in the east. Privileged and arrogant, he has been Shield for only a short time by elfish standards. He seeks an opportunity to step out from under his father’s shadow and win his people’s love. This is why he seeks the legendary sword Caledyr, which is reputed to be capable of breaking the Western magic and freeing the dragons that lead the Western armies.
Siomi has been protecting, guiding, and caring for Lord Neirin since they were both children. She seeks perfection in every deed, each morning reviewing the previous day and making amends for even the smallest slights.
Neirin is also accompanied by two soldiers. Brega‘s family lost a flourishing business and a strong reputation when her father suffered a shameful death. With no prospects and no future, she was forced to join the army to seek a good death and regain her honour. Brega has a sharp tongue and an unfavourable look, slow to trust and slower to forgive.
The other soldier is Draig, who joined the army out of a desire to serve. Huge even for an elf, he is strong, skilled and loyal. He is also one of Brega’s few friends; Draig recognises the pain and the decency behind Brega’s bitterness and Brega respects Draig’s unfailing honesty.
Six
The world of Tir is at war; the Western King has already invaded one human duchy. It seems like he has his eye on the rest of the world too. That means it isn’t a good time to be a Western elf in the other realms, which means that it’s a difficult time for exiles.
Exile is one of the greatest punishments issued by the Western Kingdom, which must mean that Six has committed a heinous crime. But he won’t tell you what it is. Instead he uses his sharp tongue and quick wit to talk himself out of tricky situations, and uses his skill with the dice to earn his coin.
But Six has a secret, one tied to the dragons at the head of the Western King’s armies. Does that make him a possible ally? Or will Thomas Rymour wake to find Six’s dagger at his throat?
Dank
Not every denizen of Faerie is a magical, immortal creature. Some are men and women bound to a Faerie companion, sharing a mind in exchange for the wisdom of immortals. Dank is one such mortal.
Paired with a Faerie sprite centuries ago, Dank can remember a time long before the ancient reign of mythical King Emyr. Assigned to Tom and his friends as a guide, Dank looks like a young man but speaks with the ancient wisdom of Faerie. But is he friend or foe?
There’s more frightening things in Tir
These are the heroes (and villains) that will keep you company as you journey across Tir. Few of them are what they seem, and the quest for the sword will be no easy task. Find out if Tom and the others can succeed by picking up your copy of The Fey Man today.
